[nuconvert]

"Hardliners fear reforms proposed by liberals "

Liberals???

"Hardliners fear".....I don't think so.

"unelected hardliners who control the judiciary, armed forces and constitutional oversight bodies such as the Guardian Council have been able to block most reform attempts."

They block Every "reform attempt" that they want to block.

This writer seems to severely underscore the power of Khamenei.

[freedom44]

I told you so..........


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=1&u=/ap/20040114/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_elections

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's supreme leader ordered hard-liners Wednesday to reconsider their disqualification of more than 3,000 pro-reform electoral candidates, the state news agency reported.

The call by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared aimed at defusing a political crisis over the disqualifications, which sparked angry protests by liberals.


Khamenei met members of the Guardian Council, the body responsible for the disqualifications, and told them "the basis of decision should be that (candidates) are authorized to run unless it's proven otherwise," IRNA reported.


Khamenei, who holds final say in all matters in Iran and who is generally backed by hard-liners, had earlier said he would intervene only after normal channels of appeal had been exhausted.